6 ‘Creepy’ Animals this Halloween!

Halloween is a special holiday all around the world and conjures certain images, one of which is certain to be creepy crawlies, large amphibians and sinister looking reptiles. Massive tarantulas, slithering millipedes and slimy snails are all definitely in keeping with the Halloween theme and can also make brilliant pets. Here are our top 5 favourite creepy pets:

1) Thorny Devil (Moloch horridus)

Also known as the Mountain Devil or simply Moloch, this little guy is easily one of the most hardcore looking lizards on the planet. The spikes on its body show that it isn’t to be messed with but faced head on this lizard has its own set of devil horns! With a name like the Thorny devil and a demon in its species name, it had to make our list. In addition to looking like an absolute badass, it has a few hidden tricks. When avoiding predators this little guy can change its colours from orange, red and brown to grey helping it blend into its surroundings.  It also has a fake head on the back of its neck to make it seem like it sees in all directions at once. It walks with its spiky tail upright like a scorpion for the extra intimidation factor. To summarise it’s got a really cool name, a Halloween costume of a body, real devil horns, a pretend head, fake spiky scorpion tail and epic camouflage. Definitely number one!

2) Satanic Leaf Tailed Gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus)

This little Madagascan has got a pretty foreboding name. Backed up by its sharp gaunt features and horn-like protrusions above the eye sockets it is quite an intimidating figure. They actually spend most of their time hiding up in trees using their leaf-shaped tails to camouflage and sit in ambush but when spotted away from the foliage they look quite sharp and deadly. If I were a cricket I’d be nowhere near this guy!

3) Vampire Crab (Geoserama sp.)

The vampire crab has a fearsome look and one of the coolest combinations of colours in the animal kingdom. With piercing bright yellow eyes and a purple body they can be very striking during the day but they do most of their hunting in the low light after sunset and before sunrise. Imagine in the dusk light some piercing yellow eyes catch you, from the inky blackness a dark carapaced horror scuttles over to hunt you down. Yeah, these little crabs can be creepy in the right context! They can be pretty quick, they are omnivorous but mostly eat meaty meals and are notorious escape artists so you better make sure the tank is secure if you plan on keeping these cunning predators.

4) Vietnamese Centipede (Scolopendra subspinipes)

I’m not 100% sure why but these invertebrates easily scare me more than any other. Perhaps it’s the speed at which they hunt or how well they can find their way in the dark and the fact that they don’t really mind what their prey is. We very rarely get them in store but whenever we do there is always a reaction from the staff and public which is why I have put it highest out of all the species we actually stock. This centipede is likely to reach 15-20 cm in length and can prey on the largest crickets, locust, grubs or small mammals when fully grown. Our team member Jack has one at home and maintains that they are brilliant pets… I’m sure he’s right and most people love them but…. no…. just no.

5) Waxy Monkey Tree Frog (Phyllomedusa sauvagii)

While usually pretty cute these frogs have a habit of dozing off on their branch and can look pretty sinister in the right light. For those that have seen Monster’s Inc. we could refer to it as the ‘Randall Glare’. They are a pretty big frog and are normally quite friendly but they definitely give off some witch and wizard vibes. It wouldn’t seem out of place perched on a cauldron or glaring down from the curtain rails. We keep these in tall glass terrariums with a 75f warm side, plenty of humidity and 5% UVB.

6) Salmon Pink Tarantula (Lasiodora parahybana)

This species is a very large but normally docile and slow-moving tarantula. It’s one of the most popular pet spiders for beginners and for good reason, they are very easy to keep, very durable pets and grow quite large making them an impressive display. To keep them happy we use a large glass terrarium with a heat mat on one side keeping the enclosure 75f on the warm end. They like the humidity and love to feed on crickets or locust. Really not that spooky at all but big spiders don’t get much better than this.

And that’s our list! Maybe a few controversial entries, as these can also be beloved family pets. If you need any help keeping your ‘creepy’ pet or just need advise on products to use with your pets please contact us at sales@reptilecentre.com or chat with us on the website, or via Facebook. We would love to hear how you and your pets are getting on this Halloween and are here to help should you need anything.